Gallery Talk: Martin Koenig w/Benjamin Hunter
Vashon Center for the Arts
Sunday, October 12: 2pm (free)

In this Gallery Talk (free), musician and cultural advocate Benjamin Hunter sits down with cultural documentarian Martin Koenig to discuss his powerful photographic exhibition "Balkan Echoes", on view at Vashon Center for the Arts in October.

Their conversation delves into Koenig’s decades-long work documenting Balkan village life from 1962 to 1987, his contributions to the Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife and Smithsonian Folkways recordings, and the stories behind his images of tradition, resilience, and cultural preservation—both in southeastern Europe and among immigrant communities in the U.S.

Benjamin Hunter is the Artistic Director of Folklife in Seattle, a multidisciplinary artist, cultural advocate, and community organizer.

Martin Koenig is a cultural documentarian and co-founder of the New York City's Balkan Arts Center, now Center for Traditional Music and Dance, who developed and co-directed programming at the Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife.

This talk is free with support from the Estate of Kathi Jenkins.

Martin's solo exhibition, "Balkan Echoes", in the gallery runs from October 3 to November 2nd.